• Can you find the Christmas pickle?Bridget Borsheim/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  Some of the most well-known Christmas traditions have come from Germany, including the Christmas tree, the gingerbread house and the advent calendar. The pickle Christmas ornament also originated in Germany. When all the children go to bed, parents hang the pickle ornament somewhere inconspicuous on the Christmas tree. The next morning, the child who first finds the pickle receives an extra present and/or gets to start off the gift opening. You and your family can make a pickle ornament craft and participate in this holiday tradition too.
  
  

Stained Glass Pickle

• Make a pickle ornament out of stained glass. Check with your local craft store, framing shop or glass supplier to see if they sell glass cutting kits. You can also order them online. Draw a pickle on a piece of paper. Place a clean piece of glass on top. Using a glass cutter, score the glass by following the shape of the pickle. Hold the cutter steadily while you score, starting from the portion of the shape closest to you. Try to score in one motion and do not press down too forcefully. Flip the glass over and press all along the scored outline. Turn the glass over and score a line from the top of the pickle to the top edge of the glass; do the same from the bottom of the pickle to the bottom edge of the glass. Grip the two sides of the glass with your thumbs on either side of the glass, outside the pickle shape. Fold down close to your work surface and the pickle shape should pop out. Drill a hole in the top of the ornament while it is lying on a piece of foam in a pan of water. Paint the ornament with green stained glass paint. When the paint is dry, string the ornament with ribbon or wire.
  
  

Baker's Clay Ornament

• Make a pickle ornament out of baker's clay if you would prefer to use items from home. Mix 1 3/4 cup flour, 3/4 cup water and 1/2 cup salt in a bowl to form a clay. Take some of the clay and shape it into the shape of a pickle. Use a straw, nail or other cylindrical tool to poke a hole through the top of the shape for stringing the ornament. Make additional ornaments out of the remaining clay in any shapes you desire. Place the shapes on a cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit until the clay has set and turned golden brown. Depending on the thickness and size of the pickle, it will take from 30 to 60 minutes to bake. Allow the pickle to cool. Paint with green tempera paint. Before the paint dries you can add sparkles if you wish. String the ornament once it is dry.
  
  

Edible Ornament

• Make an edible pickle ornament out of candy. Curve a flexible piece of licorice into a slight arc. String the licorice with green gummy candies or jujubes. The child who spots the pickle ornament on Christmas morning can eat the candy surprise.